


it runs electric

by metalmeisje



Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Altered Mental States, Blood and Gore, Dark Magic, M/M, Magic as a drug ?, Non-Consensual Blow Jobs, Not sure how to tag that, Rape/Non-con Elements, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-29 12:05:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6374077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metalmeisje/pseuds/metalmeisje
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Like I said, you need to be more careful," said Kirin, lips quirking in faint amusement as he carefully hid the watch in the folds of his flowing robes again.  "But you were always quite the stubborn one, weren't you?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	it runs electric

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sirengenesis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirengenesis/gifts), [sparxwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparxwrites/gifts).



> First off: I am _shit_ at titles and I apologize.
> 
> Please mind the warnings. Here be nonconsensual sexual activities, magic used as a drug/altered mind states and general awfulness as well as some gore to finish it off. 
> 
> This was written for Sparxflame's Week of Terrible Fiction. Thank you for being a huge inspiration and for setting this all up! They wanted to see Ridge fucked over, I all too happily obliged. Also huge shoutout to Siren for always letting me borrow her Ridge and fuck him up in whatever way I see fit.

It took Ridge about ten seconds to deduce that he was in deep shit, and about seven of those were spent denying said shit.

Admitting it, after all, would mean that he had an actual problem to deal with, one he would much rather avoid for as long as he could. A problem in the shape of Parvis, wide-eyed and jittery with nervous energy as he bounced from one foot to the other and grinned at Ridge with a bravado that Ridge begrudgingly had to admit suited the mage.

He’d still much rather wipe it off Parvis’ face.

This was _bad._ Somewhere between ‘unexpected lava shower’-bad and ‘gaping red matter-style hole in the earth’-bad, although normally he would have been on the giving end of a prank like this. It might have been funny then; it sure as fuck wasn’t now, the knowledge of just how fucked he was turning his blood to ice-

Feeling fear for the first time in fuck knew how long would have been fun, exhilarating even, if it wasn’t also seriously terrifying.

“He _told_ me you’d come!” said Parvis, sharp-toothed and almost feral in the way his eyes darted this way and that as he bounced towards Ridge, and Ridge had to suppress the urge to step back. “So nice of you to come and play with Parvy!”

“I’m not here to play.” It took some effort but Ridge managed to pull his trademark smirk back into place, expression as flawless as his posture as he straightened his back. Hands shoved deep into his pockets for some semblance of casual amusement, he curled his fingers and found nothing but thin air. _Shit._ “Another time. This is business, Parvis.”

Parvis laid the disappointment on so thickly that it made Ridge scoff, thoroughly unimpressed by the childish pout that Parvis gave him as he tipped his head back. He wasn’t a tall kid to begin with and even without Ridge hovering the few customary inches, he had to strain his neck to meet his eyes; not that Parvis seemed to care much.

“You’re no _fun,_ Ridgey. He promised me this would be _fun._ ”

It wasn’t exactly a challenge to connect the dots and realize who Parvis was talking about, but it didn’t make the chill down Ridgé s spine any more pleasant. He still grinned. Like _hell_ was this little fucker going to get to him. He was here to fix things and if Parvis was so desperate to get in the way-

Well, it was a _little_ more messy to snap someone’s neck without the powers that normally pulsed in his fingertips whenever he wanted to, but most definitely not impossible

“Guess it sucks to be you, then.” Ridge shook his head. “You want to play, then scurry off and go tinker with one of your little toys. I’m just going to poke around for a bit, I don’t need you for that. Besides, you’re already boring me.”

“Come on, Ridgey!” Parvis bounced a little closer until Ridge could smell the blood on him, emanating from the mage like it had become a part of him. _Wouldn’t be fucking surprised, at this point._ “I just wanna play for a bit. You’re not _boring_ , are you?”

Parvis had always been volatile. And it had been, indeed, _fun_ to poke and prod at a powder keg about to explode, light the fuse and see what kind of havoc Parvis could wreak if he was nudged into the right direction. Ridge had been no stranger to it, delighted to see how _eagerly_ Parvis was willing to play along when he was provided with a few bodies here, a few blood magic tips there. All he had to do was sit back and enjoy the chaos that had unfolded.

But it had never been quite like this. There was something unfocused to Parvis’ eyes now that almost made Ridge nervous, a hint of mania that, granted, Parvis wasn’t _entirely_ a stranger to; but it was different now, an edge to it that raised the hair in Ridge’s neck.

“Oh, _fiiine_ ,” Parvis finally said when he didn’t get a response from Ridge, letting out a high-pitched giggle and rocking back on his heels. “Then _Parvy_ is just gonna play!”

And then he fucking _lunged._

Ridge saw it coming, the minute way Parvis’ muscles tensed before he came at Ridge with one hand stretched out as if he was going to grab his fucking face. Ridge snarled, all pretense of a smirk forgotten as he reached for his gun that had, thank fuck, not disappeared as well. But whatever hint of nervousness he was already feeling, the very idea of walking into someone else’s base relatively defenseless making him bristle, it was nothing to the surge of panic he felt when a cool hand wrapped around his wrist and made sure he never got his weapon.

“Come on now, Ridge,” a soft voice spoke at his right shoulder, and Ridge froze.

He would have recognized that voice anywhere. Calm and polite, never a hint of anger that would give away the owner's true intentions until it was much too late.

"Kirin. How nice of you to join us," Ridge bit out. And, left hanging in the silence that followed, _what the fuck are you doing here._

A soft chuckle sounded behind him and Ridge balled his fists, watched the expression of Parvis slide from already disturbingly gleeful into something dangerously close to adoration as he rolled back on his heels, eyes wide and dark and _glittering._ Which, all things considered, didn't help Ridge much when it came to the feeling of lead in his stomach.

Parvis, he could deal with. Even painfully handicapped without his powers at his disposal and Parvis a wildcard at the best of times, a few well-placed punches to Parv's face would have at least hammered the point home that Ridge was not in the mood to play. Kirin, though.. Kirin.

The thought made the hair in Ridge's neck stand on end, not helped much by the slight crackle of static that Kirin never seemed to be able to shake wherever he went. Or maybe he just didn't care to.

"Are you going to let go of me?" Ridge finally said, exasperated, and tried to pull his wrist free from Kirin's vice-like grip. "This is none of your business, Kirin."

"Oh but it is!" Parvis near-cackled and skip-stepped a little closer to Ridge, right up in his face until they were almost touching. "Kirin's been _teaching_ me and he-"

"Enough, Parvis." Kirin's voice was gentle still, the kind of calm that made Ridge want to whip around and get the _hell_ out of dodge because as much as he hated clichés, 'the calm before the storm' was one he couldn't help but link to Kirin. Silently deadly.

Kirin, though, remained right where he was, the faint scent of ozone in the air as he tightened his grip on Ridge's wrist a little. Ridge nearly flinched when he felt Kirin lean in, felt his presence suffusing the air around him, and steeled his expression in frustration. A grin that was enough of a habit that he could maintain it without a lot of effort pulled neatly into place as Ridge shook his head.

"Oh, I bet he's been teaching you, Parv," he said, taking his time to scrutinize the jittery mess of a blood mage in front of him. Eyes roving down his front, from the stained band shirt that had obviously seen better days even _before_ blood magic and the jeans that were no better off to hands that refused to stay still, betraying Parvis' restlessness if it wasn't _completely_ obviously already. "But I really don't feel like listening to you blabber on about how the two of you are besties now, so-"

" _Ridge,_ " Kirin said cheerfully. "Manners, please. You weren't this rude when _you_ were the one helping our friend Parvis here, now were you?"

Ridge winced, nose wrinkling at the memory. It had been fun while it lasted, sure; and seeing Parvis slowly slip-slide into his unique brand of madness had been gratifying in its own way. But right now, Ridge didn't find it quite as amusing.

"Yeah, well," he said, trying to keep his voice level. "Didn't come here to socialize. So I'm just gonna-"

"Oh, but I know exactly why you're here," Kirin said, practically purring as he stepped around and into Ridge's view. "You really _do_ need to keep a better eye on things that are important to you. I must say I'm disappointed."

To Ridge's credit, he managed not to flinch even when he met Kirin's eyes. Cool, unnaturally bright blue that sparked with amusement as the demigod shook his head. And _fuck,_ if there ever was a time that Ridge cursed the fact that he couldn't hover like usual, it was right about _fucking_ now. Even with the inch or two he had on Kirin, the other man felt annoyingly large, antlers curving up and around when Kirin inclined his head, caging Ridge in.

Some part of him marvelled, if only for a second, at how put-together Kirin looked; none of the tell-tale signs of decay creeping out from under his robes and up his hands to show how broken he really was, his face a perfect imitation of humanity even though Ridge knew it to be a facade. It didn't help settle Ridge's nerves _any_ ; Kirin had his own ways of scrambling together the energy to maintain his illusion, and if nothing else it didn't bode well that he was less cracked and broken than Ridge knew him to be.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ridge ignored Parvis' high-pitched giggle and shifted his weight a little, giving up on trying to wrench his hand free for the moment and throwing Kirin the most shit-eating grin he could manage. "Hate to burst your bubble, Kirin. But I'm not going to play whatever fucked-up game you've got planned for today. Have fun with Parv, we're done here."

"Ah, I should think not."

With the most innocent smile, Kirin let his hand slide down Ridge's arm and left a trail of static in its wake before he reached into his robes and held something up so it could catch the soft light from the glowstone embedded in the ceiling.

Ridge's grin slipped away like sand and if it wasn't for the iron grip Kirin had on him, he would have lashed out.

"Where the _fuck_ did you get that?" Ridge said through clenched teeth, ignoring the nausea that tasted like bile in his throat as Kirin let the watch - _his_ watch, damnit - dangle from its chain, careless and casual. "I need that _back,_ you-"

"Like I said, you need to be more careful," said Kirin, lips quirking in faint amusement as he carefully hid the watch in the folds of his flowing robes again.  "But you were always quite the stubborn one, weren't you?"

Ridge couldn't help it; he snarled, yanking at the vice grip around his wrist as hard as he could possibly manage without his powers in an attempt to get away. Having to deal with Kirin and a maniacally cackling Parvis in the background was one thing; having them _taunt_ him quite another. Pride and stubbornness would never let him take it and roll over like an obedient pup so Ridge _yanked,_ brows furrowed into a grimace when it did nothing but earn him a soft reprimand from Kirin.

"Ooooh, he's getting angry," Parvis said in a sing-song voice, skipping around Ridge so he could stand next to Kirin and watch him with poorly hidden glee. "You still don't wanna play, Ridgey? C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Give it back," Ridge said, near-wincing at how he sounded like a whining child but unable to keep the frustration from his voice completely. Parvis might not know it, merely amused by how it was _Ridge_ drawing the shorter straw this time, but Kirin knew _full_ well just what he was dangling in front of his almost-equal. And looking like they were having just a casual chat about the weather, too. Ridge growled, pulling against Kirin's grip and cursing when Kirin merely rewarded him with a bright-hot flash of pain that burned all the way down to Ridge's bones.

Or that was what it felt like, anyway. Pain like _this_ was still a bit of a novelty after managing to stay untouchable for so long and it surprised Ridge enough to make him pause, swallowing the next wise-ass remark as he blinked at Kirin.

"None of that now," Kirin said softly, and he took an almost gentle hold of Ridge's jaw to rub his thumb along it. "I know it has been a while, but _surely_ you've not forgotten.."

It took all the self-control Ridge still had, already weary from having to be on edge and with a sense of dread settling at the base of his spine that was almost impossible to shake, not to flinch away from the soft touch that could be traced back to so _much._

"What do you want, Kirin?" Ridge only looked away for a second, eyes flickering to Parvis' incessant grin and the way he seemed to almost burst out of his own skin with excitement, but he didn't miss the flicker of satisfaction in Kirin's expression. "I'm not-"

"You want your watch back." Kirin's words were silk-smooth as he slipped his hand around to brush through Ridge's hair. "As for me.. Well, we all want _something._ Don't we, Parvis?"

Ridge groaned before he could stop himself, tipping his head back as his scalp tingled and wiped his mind blank for a second. It was a weakness, a big fucking weakness and he gathered himself only slowly, eyes narrowed as he swallowed his initial response and dug his nails into his palms.

" _What_ do you _want,_ Kirin," he repeated, ignoring the sense of unease that loomed over him, tying his stomach into knots no matter how good Kirin's fingers felt. He was _past_ this, past playing games, but he had to bite his tongue until he tasted blood when Kirin curled his fingers in his hair and pulled.

"You _know_ , Ridge," Kirin said lightly, and glanced to his side where Parvis was still giggling quietly. "Don't play coy now. We're all friends here; aren't we, Parvis?"

"Oh, yup! Absolutely, best friends! C'mon Kirin, I wanna-"

"Soon."

Ridge didn't miss the edge to Kirin's voice and it took way too much effort not to flinch away, eyes locked to Kirin's as he steadied himself. He kind of really did _not_ want to know what Kirin meant by that and opened his mouth to protest, nearly choking on his tongue when Kirin's fingers loosened the grip they had on his hair. Still smiling sweetly, Kirin carded his fingers through Ridge's hair, warmth seeping from his fingertips and down _down_ until Ridge could swear he felt it sink into his brain.

He wanted to protest. He really, _really_ wanted to make a fuss or plant his fist in between Kirin's friendly, electric blue eyes and make a fucking run for it because that would be the smart thing to do. But his eyes fell closed when Kirin hummed and let his powers, dirty-white and _way too strong this bad this is really really bad-_

-let them trickle down his scalp and spine until Ridge shuddered with it, something inside him screaming even as his head drooped and and he had to bite back a moan.

"That's better," Kirin said, something ominous seeping into his words as he brought his free hand up to rest on Ridge's shoulder and pressed gently. "Down."

Ridge's eyes snapped open and he reeled back on his feet and into Kirin's touch, stomach curling at the sudden surge of panic that he hid behind a toothy grin.

"Oh, so it's like _that,"_ Ridge said, going for casual and only half-succeeding as he cleared his throat. "You came all this way just because you're horny? That's low, Kirin. Even for you."

Parvis almost wheezed. _"H-horny,_ hah! Good one, Ridgey!"

Kirin chuckled but there was nothing benevolent about it any more, the soft sound enough to make Ridge's grin falter. And when Kirin reached up and shoved his fingers into his mouth he was caught unprepared, distracted by the way Parv was fucking _palming_ himself through his jeans like the idiot was actually getting off on this.

He was tempted to bite down, really; if only because it would have been satisfying, seeing Kirin _shocked_ for once so that goddamn fake smile of his didn’t stay plastered on his face. But Kirin shook his head, disappointment knitting his brow into a frown, and Ridge flinched when a sharp rush of electricity shot down his spine like a warning.

"You still like to run your mouth," Kirin commented, and pried Ridge's mouth open until Ridge almost choked on the fingers that so carelessly pressed his tongue down. He stood, slack-jawed and with his hands curled into fists so tightly it hurt, and tried not to lean into the touch when Kirin tugged at his hair. "But I know how to deal with that, _pet._ Now-"

When Kirin coaxed Ridge down there was nothing gentle about it, nails digging into Ridge's shoulder and sparking against his skin even through the heavy coat as he forced Ridge to his knees. Against all better judgement, against the way his heart was trying to beat out of his chest and everything telling Ridge to _run_ , his knees finally gave way. His head blank for a second as Kirin sent a surge of powers down his scalp that was nearly enough to make Ridge squirm.

Ridge blinked furiously to try and gather some shred of arrogance as he looked up at Kirin. He hated being here, hated having to look up at the way Kirin was towering over him and running his hands through Ridge's hair until he wanted to whine. He wasn't this any more, couldn't be, he should just teleport out of-

When the urge to summon his powers and disappear in a flash of white light led to nothing but a surge of panic, a distinctly _human_ and powerless feeling that clawed at his chest until he couldn't breathe, Ridge whimpered in frustration.

_Fuck._

"That's better," said Kirin. "I knew you would still remember."

Next to him, Parvis wrung his hands and took a small step closer, eyes darting from the way Ridge knelt up at Kirin, bright and slightly unfocused but _greedy._ "You gotta teach me, Kirin- I wanna know- Parvy-parv gets to learn, right?"

Kirin hummed as if in thought, running his hands through Ridge's hair and silencing the half-formed protest that Ridge was trying to choke out through the haze of magic that cascaded down on him, bounced against the insides of his skull until he was dizzy with it.

"I do not see why not," Kirin finally said amiably, smiling down at Ridge and tipping his head so that his crystalline horns caught the light until Ridge could only see soft, blurred shapes for a second. "I am _sure_ Ridge wants his belongings back enough to behave. Don't you, pet?"

Parvis already had his cock halfway out of his pants before Ridge realized what was happening and he pushed his palms against the floor in an attempt to get up, shaky but determined as he growled a hoarse warning in Parvis' general direction. "You've got to be kidding me," he managed, strangled but viciously angry as he tried to squirm out of Kirin's grip. "I'm not going to-"

"Shuuuush," Parvis said. "I think you're gonna find, Ridgey, that you are. 'Cause Parvy says so!"

"He is right, you know," Kirin added, and curled his fingers tightly in Ridge's hair to yank his head back. Ridge groaned at the jolt of pain and fumbled to get a hold of Kirin's robes, anything he could use to shove himself away and out of reach but failing rather miserably. "You're going to play along with this little, ah, game. And you know why, don't you?"

Kirin crouched down, the fabric of his robes rustling softly, and grabbed Ridge's chin to force him to sit still. Ridge could _feel_ Parvis' eyes on him, hungry and unsettling as he palmed himself and barely managed to stop himself from giggling. _Taunting_ him. Kirin ignored him, leaning in until Ridge could only see him staring back with an unreadable expression.

"It is a fair trade, I would say." With that, Kirin chuckled softly and straightened himself, keeping one hand firmly in Ridge's hair and drawing a high-pitched whine from Ridge as he stepped behind him.

Ridge's fingers scratched against the floor with a kind of desperation that he hated himself for until Kirin finally let go of his hair, a small pause in the torrent of bright, intoxicating magic so he could grab Ridge's wrists. He pulled them behind Ridge's back until his shoulders complained at the force and Ridge cursed under his breath, shaking his head to rid himself of the haze that had wrapped itself around his brain. He could taste the whine that lay curled up in his throat, clawing its way out as he felt Kirin's magic wrap itself around his wrists and bound them there.

" _Much_ better," Kirin said, amusement thick in his voice as he inspected his handiwork. Running a finger over Ridge's wrist until the magic sparked to life at his touch, forcing a pained sound from Ridge that made him sick to his stomach. Being weak _sucked,_ but he couldn't stop himself from leaning into Kirin's touch regardless, gasping like a fucking idiot when Kirin rewarded him by dragging his fingers through Ridge's hair until his head fell back.

"Oooh, I like this!" Parvis grinned, glancing at Kirin for approval as he stepped in front of Ridge and patted the top of his head awkwardly. One hand still half-heartedly tugging at his own cock as he bared his teeth at Ridge and shoved his hips forward to encourage the kneeling false god. "C'mon, we get to play, Kirin says you're a good dog-"

"Wh- Fuck no, I'm not-"

"Oh, but you are," said Kirin, yanking Ridge's head back and making him yelp in shock. "And you are _going_ to behave, if you want me to be kind and give you back what's yours. Right, pet?"

Even if he had been able to talk still, Ridge couldn't find the words. He felt sick. His stomach turned when Kirin's hands rested on his head and heated up, magic slowly sinking into him until his thoughts felt sluggish and hazy. And when Parvis shoved his fingers in Ridge's mouth, coppery and bitter and demanding, it took all Ridge's self-control not to gag but he let the intrusion happen anyway.

"Good, yes, I _like_ this!" Parvis repeated, voice tinged with an edge of mania as he pried Ridge's mouth open and threw Kirin an unhinged, bare-toothed grin. "He looks good like this Kirin, you were right- Oh-"

Parvis moaned and struggled to keep his grip on Ridge's chin as he shoved his cock past Ridge's lips in one rough, jerky thrust, and Ridge's last shreds of constraint slipped and fell as he felt himself gag around the harsh intrusion. Above his head, vaguely, he registered Kirin's content hum. Struggling to keep himself from choking, Ridge drew in a ragged breath when Parvis pulled out, trying to get some air before Parvis started fucking his mouth in earnest.

"Good boy," said Kirin, something dark about the double-edged compliment as he let one hand trace down Ridge's neck and let his powers spark to life, and Ridge whined around the cock that was shoved so far down his throat that it hurt. Kirin's powers curled around his thoughts, whipping up inside him like a second pulse until it was all he could feel, delirious and bleary-eyed as Parvis shoved his hips forward insistently.

He barely even registered the tears until they blurred his vision, reducing everything to a vaguely Parvis-shaped smudge of blacks and reds. Ridge squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a choked sob when Kirin curled his fingers in his hair and held him in place for Parvis. His jaw ached, the bonds around his wrists seared his skin until he could _swear_ he smelt burnt flesh-

"Hn- F-uck, Ridgey, we should've done this a looong time ago.." Parvis' grip on his chin slipped and he grabbed Ridge's shoulder instead, panting as his movements grew erratic. "Fuck, yeah, that's it-"

Parvis came the same way he did everything else, frantic and uncoordinated; shoving his  cock so far down Ridge's throat that he saw stars even through the drunken haze of Kirin's powers that soaked into his bones, spluttering and choking on the bitter taste. Kirin finally relented, letting his hands slip from Ridge's hair and resting them on Ridge's shoulders instead. Warm fingers splayed, still glowing so hot that they might as well have branded Ridge with it, leaving white-hot echoes of their touch.

"Better," Kirin repeated once more, watching in mild amusement as Parvis' caught his breath and fumbled to shove his cock back in his pants. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" He let his hand slip around until it rested against Ridge's abused throat, chuckling quietly when Ridge whined half-heartedly and let his head fall back against Kirin's shoulder.

Ridge shuddered and shook his head, swallowing thickly as he waited for his heart to stop thundering in his ears. When Parvis' patted his cheek cheerfully, smearing tears and traces of semen without really cleaning it off, Ridge let out another pained noise. Everything _hurt._ His throat felt like it was bruised on the inside, aching from abuse so that every time he swallowed pain sparked up brightly.

"I should think we're almost done here," Kirin said brightly as he got to his feet, and Ridge swayed a little on his knees when his headrest suddenly disappeared. He blinked up at Kirin, searching for a shred of energy to snark back and coming up empty. His bones still felt like tensile wire, buzzing with the remnants of magic that made him feel drunk.

"Wh-" he tried, shaking his head and wincing at the dizziness that followed. He tried to pull his hands free to wipe at his face, rub at his temples to chase away the grogginess, and groaned when the electricity around his wrists sparked to life and reminded him he was still _stuck._ "K-Kirin, fuck, please-"

"Don't worry about it," Kirin said, stepping into Ridge's line of sight and smiling down at him at he patted his head. "Like I said, you are almost done. Just one last small thing, and then you can have what you came here for."

It should have been a comfort, but Ridge couldn't escape the feeling of _wrongness_ that slowly worked its way through the fog. Especially when he vaguely registered the way Parvis lit up, grinning and rocking back on his heels a little as he looked up at Kirin in awe.

"Oh! Yes! Can we?"

"I think we can." Kirin smiled and crouched in front of Ridge until they were face to face. "And I will be quick. Wouldn't want to keep a good student waiting, of course."

Ridge narrowed his eyes in confusion, opening his mouth to question what the fuck Kirin was planning, _demanding_ his watch back. But the words dried up on his tongue as Kirin reached out and put his hand against Ridge's chest and pushed and _pushed,_ something unnatural about the way his nails curved and pressed _in._

It was quite something else to hear his _own_ bones break for once and Ridge screamed, incoherent and hoarse as Kirin shoved his hand inside his chest and _squeezed._

"Perfect, gimme!" Parvis reached out at the bloody mess that Kirin was holding even before Ridge's body sagged to the floor, fingers itching to wring every last possible drop of blood from the heart. Somewhere behind them the altar bubbled, a wet gurgling sound that Kirin politely ignored.

"As promised," Kirin said, mildly amused at the speed with which Parvis snatched the heart from his hands, fingers nearly slipping on the wet surface before he got a good hold of it. "This should do nicely for our next lesson, I would say."

"Man, it's gonna be _great!_ Parvy-Parv is gonna be the best blood mage around, you'll see!" Parvis grinned and darted off, feet rapping on the stone floor. Kirin watched him for a second before turning his attention to the limp body at his feet, shirt and coat stained with gold-tinged crimson and Ridge's expression frozen in something between empty-eyed panic and horror.

"Ah, yes. I should probably fix this, then. It would be a waste, otherwise." Kirin brushed off his robes before reaching inside them, letting the golden watch dangle from its chain for a second before leaning forward and putting it neatly on Ridge's stomach, just below the gaping hole that he had left.

"As promised," Kirin muttered under his breath. He studied the way Ridge's body slowly started knitting itself back together, the slow golden pulse beating to life now that Ridge's powers were within his temporarily dead grasp again, then pulled his expression back into a pleasant smile.

"Shall we, Parvis?"


End file.
